Hello Everyone,

I'll roll my noob intro and first tech question into one post here, my name is Rob, I live in CA Central Valley, and I have a 1994 Ranger 2wd 4cyl 5spd with a lot of use on it. I've had it less than a year now and haven't really done much more than basic maintenance so far, I want to start addressing some of it's needs here, so...

1994 Ranger standard cab, 5 speed, 2.3L, standard column (no tilt), wish to god I had a proper Helm Manual for it, working with a Chilton book and it describes pretty much everything I have seen on the internet via other threads/forums, youtube, etc...

Took off the steering column cover, there is no pin to depress, there is no hole in which to stick a 1/8" drill bit or punch...nothing...to release the original lock cylinder per the directions of every write up I have found so far. I have seen a few nondescript "Oh, you have to take off the steering wheel those" comments lol, I really don't want to rip the entire column apart if I don't have to, can anybody share some direction here? I'm a competent diy'er, I'll do what I have to do, just seems weird that I can't find any proper directions for this particular vehicle...

I'll try to answer a few common questions I've seen asked in other threads:

XLT trim package (base model truck, lol, seriously, like it has NO options)

It does have the key release button on top of the column

It is not a tilt column vehicle

It is a manual transmission, 5 speed

it has the old style all metal small head key and cylinder with "ears" instead of the newish full surround that you physically turn when starting

No airbags

Thanks in advance for any input, I appreciate any direction I can get here.
Rob

 

Not sure on the 94 but in my 03 you can't physically see the pin there is an extra hole on the bottom half of my column surround that looks like a screw hole but is empty to remove mine i just stuck a small flat head computer screwdriver into that hole and rotated the key to run and a little wiggle and it popped right out maybe try it with the column plastic on?

 

Thanks for sharing, mine seems to be a bit more complicated, not only is there not a hole in the column plastic cover, even if I were to add a hole, there is nothing on the cast part inside the column to be acted upon...hard to describe, in your situation, you don't have to remove the column cover, but if you did, there would be a button or some sort of hole with a detent or something inside of it to release the cylinder. My truck has nothing like it fml

 

Just did this on my 94 literally 4 days ago. You have to take off the top and bottom shroud. There's a little hole underneath the lock cylinder that you can fit something long and metal in. I used a big paperclip that was all bent out, and with the key in the on position you can just pull it right out. You should also see a little grey clip with a wire running off of it connected. Make sure you take that off first as to not break it when the cylinder exits the barrel.

 

Thanks for the input, I've read about this hole you speak of, this truck simply does not have that hole. Took the column covers off, exposing the cast aluminum part that holds the ignition cylinder and steering shaft etc, together, there is no hole anywhere except on top where the key release lever is located.

 

This is driving me crazy on a 1994 , too. Did you ever find a hole to release the cylinder?

 

Found this pictures from a site that also said he had no "access hole" in the plastic column cover. He removed them, and found the ignition release access:

 

Never got the cylinder out, issue not resolved...sorry for the delay

 

Did anyone come up with the solution to the problem on the 94 ranger cylinder issue not finding the release hole?

 

Has anyone figured out how to take tumbler out with no pin hole to be found,is this tumbler not able to come out